A ballet pointe shoe is a type of shoe worn by ballet dancers when performing pointe work (i.e. dancing “en pointe”). “En pointe” means “on the tip” and is part of a classical ballet technique in which dancers perform on the tips of their toes. Ballet pointe shoes developed from the desire for dancers to appear weightless and sylph-like. A dancer's ability to achieve proper “en pointe” stance, that is, her ability to “get over” onto the platform (the flat part) of the ballet pointe shoe, is dependent on a combination of her strength and flexibility as well as the support structure of her ballet pointe shoes.